Happily Ever After
by macai1
Summary: Harry and Draco (SLASH) are pleasantly living together when Harry realizes there's something missing. Can Ron and one pregnant Hermione help him figure out what?


Happily Ever After  
  
AN: Hey there! This story was Alexandra Tillet's idea, but she stated that someone could start the story- so I took up the offer. The basis is hers, the story is mine, and the characters are J. K. Rowling's; unfortunately they have to live in my insane mind for a little while. This is a Draco/Harry SLASH fic. The rating might go up, but right now there are only very basic one-line kissing scenes. This includes a male pregnancy, so if you don't want to hear about it, don't read. I'm really sorry if there are a lot of grammar or punctuation errors- I'm in the middle of cramming for Final exams and well, I can't think straight. Other pairings include: Ron/Hermione. This takes place 5 years after graduation.  
  
This is Alexandra Tillet's Summary: Harry and Draco are married and living in London. Harry starts to feel that something is missing from his and Draco's life, and after a chat with Ron and a very pregnant Hermione, he realizes what it is. WARNING! Slash and M-preg!  
  
I hope you enjoy the story, and please! Comments, criticism, and ideas would be great!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"C'mon, love! We'll be late if you don't hurry up and get out of there!" Harry called to his husband, tapping his foot and leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door.  
  
"I said I'm coming!" A brisk voice called back.  
  
Harry sighed. He and Draco had been living in this apartment in London for 5 years, and, in Harry's opinion, it definitely needed two bathrooms. The previous year, the loving couple had gotten married, much to the surprise of one Malfoy family and one Sirius Black. Draco had taken on Harry's surname, and if anything pissed Lucius Malfoy off it was losing his only heir. This fact had had Draco and Harry in fits of laughter for days on end.  
  
They were supposed to be meeting Ron and Hermione Weasley (whom had been married for two years) at the bakery shop for lunch at Noon. However, Harry had told his husband that they would be meeting at twenty till to see if they could actually make it on time for once. Unfortunately, Harry used this tactic so often that it no longer worked because Draco just presumed that he had additional time.  
  
"That's it! I'm coming in!" scowled Harry.  
  
No reply came from the bathroom.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
Still, there came no reply.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I... I... OH MY GOD!!!!!!" Came a shrill scream.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked, approaching the door.  
  
"N-n-nothing! Don't come in!" Harry heard the lock click shut.  
  
This was extremely odd. The bathroom door was never locked; it just didn't happen. It was some unwritten law; or maybe there was a law for that, but it didn't come to Harry's mind at the moment, and besides he had more important things to consider.  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
A scrambling could be heard with in the room and then the door slammed open and Draco rushed out.  
  
"Of course not, Harry." stated Draco calmly...  
  
"Well, then what did you scream about?"  
  
Draco shifted uncomfortably. He could: 1. Tell Harry the truth, and face the consequences. or 2. Lie in some way that would make his husband laugh, and in the process get himself out of trouble. As much as Draco hated to lie to the man he loved, the once-slytherin came to the obvious conclusion.  
  
"I had a hang nail and couldn't find a file." Draco muttered blushing.  
  
Harry stared at him. "This is new. I didn't know you yelped about hang nails." He started giggling. "OH MY GOD!" He mimicked in Draco's higher pitched voice, "Whatever shall I do, I've broken a nail!!"  
  
"Now, you just be quiet," huffed Draco.  
  
"Make me," replied Harry, grinning.  
  
Draco could respond in one of two ways. He could: 1. State 'Make me, make you' or he could 2.... God, this was stupid. He had to stop playing chess.  
  
"Maybe I will." stated Draco, leaning forward and successfully shutting Harry up with a deep kiss. By the time he broke away, Harry was panting.  
  
"Damn, you're good."  
  
"Aren't I though?" responded Draco, "Now hurry up or we'll be late."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The couple apparated into an alley in London and set off walking towards the bakery. Harry watched his husband out of the corner of his eye. Something was wrong. He and Draco were happy right? Then what was... missing? Harry loved Draco, Draco responded in turn. There couldn't be anything else Harry wanted, right?  
  
It took Harry a few seconds to realize a hand was being waved in front of his face and that Draco had probably been trying to get his attention for quite some time.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"Hey, where did you go off to, eh?" Draco asked. "I was wondering what this place is called. You know the bakery?  
  
It was a muggle bakery, one of Hermione's favorites.  
  
"Oh, right. It's called 'Delicacy Pastries'." Draco nodded, acknowledging the name.  
  
"Then it's over there." He stated, pointing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was 12:15 PM. Ron and Hermione had been waiting there for about, well... 15 minutes, considering that's when they were supposed to meet Draco and Harry.  
  
"Where are they?!" growled Hermione.  
  
"Come on 'Mione, relax." said Ron, wincing at the tight grip she had on his hand. "They've never been here before."  
  
"Ron!! Hermione!" A voice called.  
  
"It's about time," Mrs. Hermione Weasley muttered. Then she put aside her dark mood and brightened up. At least she could eat now. "Harry! How've you been?"  
  
Harry strode over to the table, and that's when Hermione noticed Draco, standing slightly behind Harry to block himself from view. Hermione, Ron, and Draco had become friends for Harry's sake, but nothing could dent the shield of the Golden Trio.  
  
"Draco!" She smiled. "Get over here, there's no sense in hiding."  
  
He looked gratefully at her, and she started. It was still odd to be able to read Draco's emotions so easily.  
  
The two men sat down at the round table. Then Harry raised his eye brows questioningly at Hermione. "Well, it looks like you and Ron have been busy," He said, eyeing Hermione's rather large stomach.  
  
"Oh yes! We went to study to Rome and Paris. And I'm currently setting up a trip to Norway; did you know it's beautiful there? Ron's got a job as a traveling agent in the Order of the Phoenix, as you well know, and we can go almost anywhere we want- researching the where-abouts of You-Know-Who.--- "  
  
Ron cut her off. "I don't think that's what he was referring to, Hermione." He chuckled, and then turned to Harry. "She's been down nearly 6 months, as she's 8 months into it, so if 'Mione bites your head off it's not her fault."  
  
"That's great!" Harry grinned.  
  
"It is NOT great! I can't do ANYTHING. I have to sit around the house and READ ALL DAY. Not that that's a bad thing," She amended quickly. Ron, Harry, and Draco smirked at that, remembering Hermione's obsession with the library at Hogwarts. "But Ron treats me like crystal that's so fragile, It's not allowed to walk. Which I CAN DO." She stated looking at him pointedly. Harry decided not to point of that crystals were inanimate objects and couldn't walk anyway.  
  
"So I'm concerned! Don't you want me to be concerned?" Ron asked.  
  
"Yes but..." Tears started leaking down her face, and the men stared at her in horror.  
  
"Hermione I was just joking! It's okay, I'm not mad!" Ron tried. She sniffled louder.  
  
"Don't be silly, Ron loves you more than anything, and after the baby's born I bet he'll take the pair of you to Greece!" Harry said, hoping it would help.  
  
Hermione started wailing. She didn't exactly know why, but she was. It just wasn't fair that she had to sit around and do nothing for another month and then... and then she had to go through that painful birth. She'd read all about it of course, but she was still scared. What if something went wrong? Or what if something happened to her or the baby? Or what if.---  
  
Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts. "What are you going to name your baby?"  
  
She stared at him, and then brightened. It was as if she hadn't just been crying a few seconds ago. Yes, he WOULD be HER baby wouldn't it? And she could raise him and love him and make him study his brains out.  
  
"Well," She said perking up, "I was thinking maybe Sarah, if it'll be a girl of course."  
  
Ron and Harry were staring at Draco in amazement and awe. Well, Harry was staring in amazement and awe. Ron was staring in slight envy along with all that. "How did you DO that?" Harry whispered.  
  
"She's pregnant. If you get her mind on a different subject she'll change her mood on the side of a sickle." Draco said pointedly.  
  
"And... and if it's a boy, I think we'll name him James." Hermione smiled at Harry. "After Harry's father. I've always rather liked that name, too. If it's alright with you of course." She asked hastily.  
  
"It's fine! I don't think I'll ever get the chance to name a baby so..." A pang of envy hit him, and realized it was this- this that he wanted. He wanted a child. He glanced at Draco. But that was impossible... Sadness engulfed him, and he finished lamely: "It's fine."  
  
Hermione was looking at him oddly. Being pregnant hadn't tampered with her observation skills, so they were still very keen. "Harry..." she began, "Have you ever considered having a baby?"  
  
"What? But isn't that impossible, Hermione? I mean... I'm married to Draco and I can't exactly have one with him..."  
  
"Yes you can." She said.  
  
"If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom." Draco stood up abruptly and walked off.  
  
"I guess that would be a 'no'." Harry said sadly. "Even if it were possible."  
  
"But it is!" Hermione insisted. "I've read all about it of course. I had to, considering half the books in the house are now based on pregnancy." She glared at her husband. "I'm not sure if they're for me or for Ron."  
  
"Well, how does it work?" Harry prompted.  
  
"If the two men have sexual intercourse, and they both a have a desire to have a baby, whether they know it or not, it'll just happen. The baby will grow in the most suitable 'mother'. Which is based on the body size and strength, hormones, and of course, who has better magic to host a child."  
  
"Now I remember why we used to call you 'Text Book'." Ron started, but Harry interrupted him.  
  
"Well, I guess that'll never happen though, because it looks like Draco doesn't want a baby..."  
  
"But, YOU do." Hermione said calmly. "So, you should talk to him."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Later that night, after returning to their apartment, Draco and Harry were lazing around the living room. Draco was reading a book entitled 'Mind and its Mysteries' and Harry was silently staring into the glowing fire.  
  
Abruptly, he tore his eyes away. "Um... Draco?"  
  
"Yes?" His eyes never left the page he was reading.  
  
"I was wondering.... Well, that is to say..."  
  
"What is it?" Draco asked.  
  
"Could you look at me, first?"  
  
Draco immediately folded the page over, set the book down and turned to the man sitting next to him. "I'm listening."  
  
Harry sighed. How on earth was he going to word this? 'I was thinking we should have a baby.' No, no... 'You know how Ron and Hermione' Nah, shouldn't bring them into this. Harry decided to try out an old scheme. Hey, it had gotten Draco to marry him, right?  
  
"You know how much I love you, right?" He tried.  
  
Draco beamed back at him. "Yes, I do."  
  
"Well, you'd be wrong."  
  
"Wha- what?" Draco cried.  
  
"I love you more than that." Harry replied, smirking.  
  
"THAT WAS SO MEAN!" Draco exploded. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D SCREW WITH ME LIKE THAT!!!!" Well, that didn't work.  
  
Harry slipped his arms around his husband. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd be mad."  
  
"I'm not mad! I was just.... just... ARGH! WHAT'S THAT WORD?!"  
  
"Upset? Confused? Annoyed? Sad? Scared?" Harry tried a few terms that might work.  
  
"Yes! Scared that's it!"  
  
Harry stared at Draco. He hadn't thought anything could scare the blond. Well, beside Lucius and Voldemort, but they didn't count. "Why were you scared?"  
  
"I thought you were going to say that... that..." Draco couldn't finish the sentence.  
  
"That I was going to say I didn't love you anymore?"  
  
Draco nodded.  
  
"Well, those words are NEVER going to come out of my mouth, you little fool." Harry said, pulling Draco against his chest. "Because I love you more than anything and I'll never leave you."  
  
"Never?" Draco questioned.  
  
"Never." Harry confirmed  
  
"Not even if... if..."  
  
"If what?" asked Harry.  
  
Draco muttered something.  
  
"A little louder love, I'm not so good at reading lips."  
  
Then Draco said, barely audibly, "Not even if I accidentally got myself pregnant?"  
  
"YOU WHAT?" Harry cried.  
  
"I knew you didn't want the baby, that's why I had to leave today at the table before you said it. I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened." Draco babbled.  
  
"It IS mine, right? Harry asked.  
  
"Of course! You think I'd--"  
  
Harry cut Draco off with a sweltering kiss.  
  
When he finally broke it, a breathless Harry asked, "What makes you think I wouldn't want a baby?"  
  
"Well, you never, you know brought it up, and..."  
  
"But I DO want a baby! I've been trying to bring it up all day! This is absolutely perfect!" Then Harry paused, "That is, if you want a baby..."  
  
"I... I do..."  
  
"When did you find out?" Harry asked.  
  
"This morning." Draco chuckled. "That's why I screamed."  
  
"So THAT was it." Then Harry scowled. "You lied to me."  
  
"I didn't know what your reaction would be... What if you threw me out? Or if you wanted to terminate it? Or if..."  
  
"You know I'd never do anything like that."  
  
"I guess..." He pulled away from his husbands embrace.  
  
"So... so we're gonna have a baby? Really?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah. Yes, we are."  
  
Harry stood up suddenly. "We need to go visit Hermione."  
  
"Why?" Draco rasped.  
  
"I want to know everything there is to know about you being pregnant, and Hermione says they have so many books on that now that she's an expert." He then pulled Draco up beside him. "I won't let ANYTHING go wrong. How we'll just floo so we don't have to go outside to apparate."  
  
"Wait!!" Draco cried. "We're just gonna waltz in and I go 'Hey there, guess what? I'm having Harry's baby! Wanna help me figure out how the hell this works?'"  
  
"Ooh, good words. Yes, that's great." Harry through some floo powder into the roaring fire. "You first."  
  
Draco sighed, knowing there was no way he could get out of this, and stepped into the fire. "The Landing!" He said loudly and vanished.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When Draco fell into Ron and Hermione's den, he realized that the girl hadn't been kidding. The place was piled with books.  
  
"Oh, I HATE floo!" Draco scowled and pushed himself up. "Hey Hermione!" He called. "Ron!"  
  
Ron walked into the room at the same time Harry fell out of the fire place on top of Draco.  
  
"Oh, hello. Fancy meeting you here." Ron said laughing. "What can I do for you?"  
  
Harry and Draco finally disentangled themselves and asked after Hermione.  
  
"She's in the kitchen, eating..." He blushed.  
  
"Eating what, Ron?" The married couple chorused.  
  
"Eating bell peppers with mustard."  
  
Draco burst out laughing and then said directly to Harry. "I seriously hope ~I~ don't have cravings like that."  
  
Ron stared at them. "Are you saying that--"  
  
"We'll tell you both at the same time." Harry said, brushing past Ron and dragging Draco with him to the kitchen.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Harry! Draco! To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Hermione asked, her mouth full of green pepper.  
  
Draco decided to kick his chess tragedy instincts. "I'm pregnant."  
  
Hermione's mouth fell open. She glanced from Draco to Harry and back again. "Oh, well that's... that's..." Harry made a thumbs up behind his husband's back to help Hermione out. "That's great!"  
  
"Harry figured you could give us details." Draco gestured towards the den with its books.  
  
"Of course! Come with me, Draco! Oh, and Ron:" She said off-handedly, "I'm not hungry anymore."  
  
Harry looked at the huge pile of peppers on the table, while Ron started banging his head against the wall. Draco and Hermione were already paging through books in the other room.  
  
"God, I'll be glad when this is over!" Ron gasped. "I had to make ALL THOSE PEPPERS when she insisted she'd eat them all, and she eats three. THREE, DAMMIT! I pity you man, and I hope Draco will be better than Hermione with this." He laughed. "But, on that subject: Congratulations! How far has he been into the cycle before he told you?"  
  
"Not long, because he just found out today." Harry looked at Ron's dark circled eyes. "Maybe you should get some sleep..."  
  
"Brilliant idea, mate! You don't mind do you? Since she's occupied..." With that he strode into the bedroom, and fell on the bed already asleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"The Tower!" Harry cried as the flames engulfed him and the floo network took him home. It was nearly 4 in the morning. Harry had been compelled to stay, at Hermione's insistent urgings that Draco needed to read yet another paragraph (and another and another and...), but more because he thought Ron deserved a break. However, he knew he was being unfair. Hermione wouldn't get a break from being pregnant until she had the baby.  
  
He fell out of his own fire place, muttering about he needed to master walking out of the floo correctly, when Draco fell out on top of him.  
  
"I'm exhausted......" Draco whined.  
  
"If you're strong enough to use 'exhausted' and not 'sleepy' you're not tired enough." Harry replied.  
  
"Malfoys don't use the word 'sleepy'."  
  
"And you are not a Malfoy." Harry grinned.  
  
"Oh, that's right, isn't it?" He looked absolutely delighted to hear that. "Well, then I'm sleepy, let's go to bed."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


End file.
